If The Cape Fits…

This weekend we celebrate fathers and I get to share the story of Superman.

My wife’s dad was killed in a car accident when she was just six years old. Russ left behind a wife and four kids including Polly. Her only real memory of her father is of him rubbing her back in front of the living room fireplace. “I can still feel it today,” she says with a smile.

Her mother eventually remarried. Tim became Polly’s stepdad. A few short years later, the unthinkable happened…her mother died of breast cancer. Four kids; both parents lost. Tim was all they had. Polly couldn’t have known it at the time, but her life was at a crossroads. Her future in his hands. The decisions he would make after losing his second wife to cancer would shape who she would become.

In time, Tim fell in love with Barb who had three kids of her own. How strange was this? Polly remained in the same house this entire time, only now with a different set of parents. You could understand if this didn’t go well for her. It’s hard enough being a teenage girl; imagine dealing with all of this grief and uncertainty.

And what about Tim? This was not his plan. He had his own adult children and responsibilities. He had a business to build; a living to make. He could have been a distant, cold, even somewhat bitter man. Instead, he chose a more noble path. This hard-working, greatest-generation-era veteran made a decision. In fact, there was never any doubt what he would do. He would do his best. He would put her first. He would be her dad.

Love comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ~ 1 Timothy 1:5

For the past 17 years I have been blessed to call Tim dad too. Along with a wonderful sense of humor, he has a spirit about him; an undeniable inner-strength. It’s clear to me that God chose him and he has been richly rewarded. Tim is 88-years old. He has an amazing wife, 11 children, 21 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and a lifetime of memories. Few are related by blood, yet when I look around the room during the chaos of holiday get-togethers, I see brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I see Mom and Dad. I see a celebration of love; the very definition of family.